


To Heal A Broken Soul

by Aquadestiny



Series: Selene and Edwin [1]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: Abuse of Power, Angst, Character Deaths, F/M, Graphic Description of Disease, Grief, Manipulation, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Titan Fighting Fantasy - Freeform, Trigger warnings;, bad mental health
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-15
Updated: 2020-10-15
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:28:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27023551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aquadestiny/pseuds/Aquadestiny
Summary: As winter tightens its grip on the Pagan Plains, the troubles plaguing Toreguarde are far from over. The Grand Magus is beginning to crack under the pressure placed upon her by the rest of the city’s Council and a letter bearing some very unwelcome news threatens to push her over the edge.
Relationships: Selene Frigidwake-Edwin Goodwin
Series: Selene and Edwin [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1972201
Kudos: 2





	To Heal A Broken Soul

**Author's Note:**

> Please take note of the trigger warnings. Nothing that should put this into a mature category, but it might be a bit upsetting. I originally wrote this as part of my NanoWriMo 2017 project, but I thought it might work better as part of a series of stories instead. Also, strap in, it's a long one.

Two days after the debacle that had been drinks with Elowyn’s friends at the Plot Hook, winter finally decided to make its presence fully felt. Frost clouded most of the view out of the windows overlooking the city of Toreguard, not that the Grand Magus really wanted to get out of bed to take a look. The human shivered as she finally resigned herself to getting up, the frigid air hitting her the moment she threw off the blankets to place her glasses on her nose. Her Familiar chuckled a greeting from the headboard, fluffing up his feathers some more in a somewhat futile attempt to keep warm.

_~Since when was it allowed to get this cold?~_ the magpie complained loudly, causing Selene to wince a little.

_~Can you keep it down, at least this early in the morning?_ ~ she retorted, _~You know I need a minute or two first thing.~_ Chrackle chuckled irritably,

_~All well and good for you. You have nice warm duvets and blankets protecting you from the cold. All I’ve got is my feathers and they’re not doing a very good job of it!~_ he snapped. Selene sent her familiar a sympathetic gaze as she pulled on her housecoat and shuffled over to the fire,

_~I know, I’m sorry. Give me five seconds to get this fire back up.~_ she told him, shivering again as she found the poker and stirred the embers in the fireplace. Thankfully, it had remained banked overnight, despite the freezing weather, and it was simply a matter of adding more fuel and a little gust of wind to get it properly going again. The wizard shook back her hair and ran her hands over it as she stood,

“I’m rather of a mind to not bother attending this meeting, it’s not like we’ll get anything done what with the New Year holiday starting in a week.” she grumbled, earning her a squawk from Chrackle, who hadn’t bothered moving.

_~You sure it’s not just you feeling lazy because it’s still dark out?~_ He ventured, flying over to a perch just above the fireplace and settling down with a satisfied croak as the heat seeped into his little body.

“Oh don’t give me that, Chrackle. There’s not all that much work to actually do right now, which just means that Schreiber is going to sit there and try to get under my skin the whole time.” The magpie cocked his head thoughtfully,

_~Want me to come with and peck out his eyeballs if he starts that nonsense again?~_ he asked, making the attempt to sound somewhat innocent. Selene chuckled and tickled him under the beak,

“As much as I appreciate the sentiment, I don’t think it would go down too well.” she told him, “I’ll manage.” Both wizard and familiar looked over to the door as someone timidly knocked on it,

“Grand Magus, you decent?” a voice asked from outside the door. Selene shrugged and gestured in the general direction of the lock,

“It’s open.” she called, “I hope you’ve at least got some Chicory there May, Gods above know I’m going to need it before I deal with Schreiber and his nonsense this morning.” The maid smirked a little as she placed the tray she was carrying on the Grand Magus’ desk and smoothed out her pinnie.

“Actually, Grand Magus, your friend Father Goodwin sent over some Dwarven Bloc Coffee. Said something about you needing it more than him.” she replied. Selene grinned, striding over to the desk and tying back her more unruly than usual mane of hair,

“Bless that man, he’s a saint.” she breathed, quickly picking up the mug and inhaling the bitter steam. She frowned, catching sight of a large, heavy envelope sitting next to the pot of extra coffee, “What’s this?” she asked, placing her mug on the table warily. May, who had started changing out the bedsheets, shook her head,

“I’m not entirely sure, Mistress, but it arrived for you earlier this morning. Frankly I’m surprised the poor courier didn’t have frostbite what with this weather.” Selene frowned, the handwriting was somewhat messy, but incredibly familiar. The seal on the back was from Fangthane, which only added to the wizard’s confusion. She quickly checked for any magical signatures, locks or traps. Chrackle fluttered over and landed on his wizard’s shoulder, looking the envelope over,

_~Where’s it from? Who’s it from? What’s inside? Something shiny? I hope it’s something shiny.~_

Selene pointedly ignored her familiar’s ramblings, grabbing her letter opener, sliding it under the wax seal and pulling out the parchment inside. She quickly checked it for any magical signs of tampering before she started to read:

Dearest Selene,

**While it has been many a year since last we saw one another, it is my deepest regret to inform ye of the passin’ of Fai Lumidas, Wizard o’ the twentieth level and Alexis Dalliance, the Shot in the Dark an’ Hero o’ Toreguard and the Pagan Plains. I remain as the only witness tae their great courage and sacrifice that all on Titan remain safe fi those that would wish tae see it destroyed with the final destruction o’ the souls o’ Balthus Dire an’ Zharradan Marr. While I sincerely wish I could have delivered the news in person an’ shared a drink or dozen tae celebrate them both wi’ ye, my duties as Moradin’s Champion call me awa’ fi the Material Plane once more.**

**Please find enclosed Fai’s amulet and Lex’s brooch. Please pass on my deepest regrets to Edwin and wee Elowyn.**

**Forges hot and beers cold _piuthar_.**

**Ivan Jaegersson.**

Selene’s heartbeat thundered in her ears, dimly aware of May’s yelp of alarm. Chrackle squawked and snatched up the envelope, causing the two heavy objects to fall onto the table with a dull thud. A couple of loose feathers fell to the table, forgotten in the bird’s mad dash out of the room. May, in the meantime, rushed over to the wizard’s side and helped her into the closest available chair,

“Grand Magus are you alright?” she asked, her eyes widening in concern when she received no reply. “Mistress Frigidwake?” she called, gently touching the wizard’s arm. Selene quickly shook her head and finally looked at the maid,

“I’m sorry.. Yes?” May’s brow furrowed at the distant tone. She opened her mouth to repeat her query when a voice called from the doorway,

“Don’t worry about it, May, we’ll see to the Grand Magus.” The maid turned to see who had spoken only to see the lithe form of Selene’s Second standing in the doorway with Chrackle sitting on his shoulder,

“Why don’t you go and inform General Strucker that Lady Frigidwake won’t be attending Council today?” he asked, glancing briefly in Selene’s direction. May quickly jumped to her feet and curtsied,

“Begging your forgiveness sir, but the General will want to know why. What do I tell him?” The rounded and ruddy face of Dwena appeared from behind Thazaar’s legs,

“Just inform him that it’s a personal matter. The General is a good man, he should understand.” she said. May nodded, her dirty blonde hair falling into her eyes as she curtsied again, gathered up the dirty bedsheets and hurried out of the room. Chrackle fluttered down onto the table Selene was sitting at and silently nuzzled his mistress’s hand. Thazaar, meanwhile, crouched down beside her,

“I walked into Chrackle on my way up to see you this morning.” he said lightly, “I can see now why he was so upset. What happened?” Selene glanced back down at the parchment in her hand, only dimly registering that it was shaking,

“The news is not… entirely unexpected.” she finally said, her voice tight, “I suppose I was a fool to hope that things would turn out otherwise.” Chrackle croaked in worry, trying and failing to find some purchase in his wizard’s mind to reassure her. Thazaar petted the magpie, gently teasing the parchment from Selene’s grasp. Dwena cast her gaze around the room in mild irritation until it landed on a plush red and purple velvet footstool. She quickly dashed towards it, dragged it over to the desk and hopped on top of it. The gnome’s happy smile dropped as she realised that she was only barely able to see the top of the desk. She looked up at Selene, closed her opened mouth and looked for anything that might be of interest. She teased over the long chain of a large amulet and began to inspect it. Thazaar, in the meantime sighed, the hand holding the letter falling to his side,

“This is indeed upsetting news.” he said, looking up at Selene again. The human had picked up a brooch, running her thumb down the sheath of a tiny dagger, not noticing the subtle tingle of heated magic coming from it.

“I just kept on holding out the foolish hope that I would hear from either one of them again at some point, even if neither of them could return to Toreguard itself.” Thazaar glanced at the letter again,

“While that may be the case, Lady Frigidwake, it seems that both Alexis and Fai freely gave their lives to save all of creation from a fate possibly worse than that which met them.” he pointed out kindly. Selene finally looked up at her Second, currently unshed tears brimming in her eyes as she finally cracked a small, fragile smile,

“Well, it wouldn’t be right if Alexis didn’t go out in a blaze of glory of some kind.” she joked, her voice cracking slightly. Chrackle’s eyes brightened as he finally pushed through the mental block his mistress had thrown up upon reading the letter, too relieved to take much notice of the tumultuous emotions that suddenly hit him

_~The girl always did have a massive hero complex.~_ he said, _~At least we know what’s happened now right?~_ Selene glanced over to her familiar briefly,

“I suppose you’re right. To be honest, I’m more upset about Fai.” she admitted, “Our last communication was… less than pleasant.” Dwena, who had been content to listen to the conversation, jerked her head up at the mention of the other wizard’s name. Her brow furrowed deeply. Hadn’t Elowyn mentioned something about him the other night? Thazaar, meanwhile, sent the Grand Magus a questioning look,

“When was this last communication?” he asked. Selene shrugged tiredly,

“Around the end of Sowing last year.” she replied, her voice heavy, “I don’t even remember what it was we ended up arguing about, but needless to say we… ended the discussion on bad terms.” The human snorted derisively, “I seem to have a habit of doing that, I wasn’t exactly pleasant to Alexis before she left either.” Dwena glanced between the two twicelings, her thoughts forgotten at the Grand Magus’s tone,

“You can’t go blaming yourself for what happened though.” she pointed out, placing the amulet on the table, “Both of them clearly made their own decisions that led to all this.” Selene rounded on the unfortunate gnome, her green eyes blazing,

“If it’s not my fault then why is this the first I’ve heard of her for over a year and a half?!” she demanded, causing Dwena to shrink back slightly and Chrackle to squawk in indignation. Selene slammed her hand on the table, standing up, “If I hadn’t been so damned selfish and checked in on them both more often then, I don’t know, maybe neither of them would have ended up in the bloody Pit!” Chrackle narrowed his eyes and flew up in front of Selene’s face as all within the room felt the pull of arcane energy around the human wizard,

“Enough!” he croaked angrily, forcibly shoving his thoughts at his mistress, causing her to pause, at least momentarily.

_~Dwena hasn’t done anything wrong!~_ he snapped, _~Yes, you’re angry and upset. I am too! But don’t go taking it out on people who are trying to help!~_ the magpie held his mistress’ angry glare,both of them refusing to back off until Selene finally relented, her hands dropping in defeat to her sides and turning her head away. The human’s cheeks and ears flushed as she looked to the floor,

"No… you’re right. I’m sorry.” she said, her voice low. Dwena slowly lowered her own hands from their defensive casting position and shook her head,

“It’s ok. It’s all still a bit of a shock right now.” she said gently, “Why don’t we go get some breakfast sent up and spend the rest of the day sorting out the library?” she suggested, “I’ve been trying to keep on top of it for you while you’ve been at Council, but you know what the students can be like.” Thazaar smoothed out his robes,

“If you wish, Grand Magus, I can see Lady Elowyn and her companions off and then sort out any Council business.” Selene jerked her head up and stared at the half-elf,

“Wait, what was that about Elowyn?” she asked. Thazaar shrugged,

“I heard from some of the junior Wizards that Lady Elowyn and her companions have urgent matters to attend to in Fangthane. They’ve apparently been given leave by the Fangthane Council to teleport to Gumthane this morning.” Selene dashed to her walk-in wardrobe, muttering under her breath and throwing on a clean set of robes. Chrackle landed on the perch above the fireplace again,

_~You’re not going to go and do something silly now, are you?~_ the bird asked sardonically, _~Because if you are, I think everyone present has every right to try and stop you.~_

_~Of course not! I just had no idea Elowyn was even going to be leaving the city again and she needs to know about this!~_ Selene replied frantically, _~How has she even gotten permission to go to Fangthane anyway?! I thought she and her friends were investigating the Brotherhood of Cleaving.~_

_~Your guess is as good as mine right now.~_ the bird replied calmly, _~But you know Elowyn wouldn’t be going unless she had a good reason. She’s not stupid…. Unlike some other ex-adventurers I could talk about.~_ he added with a mutter. Selene exited her the wardrobe fully dressed and pulling a brush through her tangled mane of hair, two or three hair pins sticking out from her mouth. She glared at her familiar,

_~Oh that’s hilarious, Chrackle. At least I’m not the one who went catatonic the minute we arrived in Mythrilmar the first time.~_

_~Hey! I thought we were never bringing that up ever again?~_

_~You started it!~_

Dwena took the opportunity to interrupt as Selene pinned her hair into its usual bun,

“Forgive me for interrupting what must be a fascinating debate, Grand Magus, but is it a wise idea to talk with Elowyn about this just before she leaves?” she asked. The gnome received no reply as Selene grabbed her old yew staff and slammed it into the floor, Teleporting immediately to the bottom of the tower. Thazaar sighed,

“Well, I might as well attend to business while the Grand Magus is… pre-occupied.” he noted, “I suggest you do the same for the moment Dwena. No doubt she will not be long and we can work out how best to deal with the situation later.” Dwena sighed irritably, but nodded and quickly opened a portal to her personal dimension,

“If you say so Thazaar.” she muttered, hopping into the small tear in reality then carefully closing it behind her. Thazaar heard the familiar ‘whump’ of an arriving Teleport and raised voices coming from the Grand Magus’ personal study next door, shook his head and Teleported to the Council chambers to apprise Lord Schreiber of the situation.

~*~

Selene stared at the man sitting opposite, trying to process what he had just told her,

“Wait, she had been in Fangthane for more than a few days and you didn’t think to, oh I don’t know, let me know she was there?” she asked dangerously. Edwin frowned,

“Honestly, I thought she had at least sent a letter back to let someone know what was going on.” he replied slowly. Selene continued glaring at him,

“Fair enough, so why didn’t you say anything when I went to Fangthane about the Seal nine months ago? I’m fairly certain I mentioned that I hadn’t heard anything back then.” Edwin grimaced,

“Given the situation we found ourselves in at the time, I believed it was more prudent to wait until…”

“Until what, Edwin?” Selene snapped, “I have spent the better part of a year and a half wondering where in all the hells Alexis went and why she left without saying anything!” The cleric sighed as he leaned back in his chair, shaking his head,

“I’d rather been hoping that she would come back to tell you herself. I did say to her that all of us would much prefer it if she came back.” he explained patiently, “Though, truth be told I don’t think any of us really expected her to.” he added. Edwin frowned and stroked at his beard, deep in thought, “I still don’t understand how you had no idea where she was though. I swear I saw her write at least one letter and I’m pretty sure it was delivered before she, Fai and Ivan even left.” Selene threw up her hands,

“That’s another thing. Where in all the hells was Ivan anyway? Last I heard he was on his way back to Fangthane following a summons by the king.” Edwin glanced up at the wizard, somewhat nervously,

“He never made it back in the end. I don’t know why, but he ended up back in Mechanus, spent some time helping to repair the place then settled down, apparently. He’s got a lovely wife and an absolutely adorable son.” Selene, who had taken to pacing around the room, stopped and stared at the cleric incredulously,

“He what now? I never took Ivan to be the settling type.” Edwin shrugged,

“We didn’t either.” he retorted, “He did end up coming back with us though. Apparently Greg had a word with Moradin, who told Ivan he needed to go back Alexis up.” Selene snorted,

“Well of course He did.” she muttered, “Stupid, inconsiderate…” The woman lapsed into Draconic without even thinking about it. Edwin quirked a small smile,

“While I understand the sentiment towards the Gods in general, Sel, can we keep the insults to a minimum?” he asked, “Or at the very least, keep them relevant?” Chrackle, who had been happily rearranging his nest in the boughs that made up the rafters, croaked his agreement with the nature cleric,

_~It’s never really a good idea to go insulting beings with that much power anyway.~_

_~I wouldn’t need to if they didn’t insist on poking their noses into the lives of all my friends!~_ the wizard retorted angrily. Chrackle rolled his eyes,

_~Be honest, you’re only upset with one of them, really. It’s not Edwin’s fault he got involved, so cut him a bit of slack.~_ Edwin watched in mild concern as Selene deflated again,

“I’m sorry Edwin I’m just… so utterly frustrated by the whole damn thing.” she said, flopping back into the chair the other human had provided for her when she first turned up. The cleric shook his head,

“You’re still in a bit of shock and have started grieving properly for the first time since Alexis left.” he pointed out. He looked the wizard over a little more closely, “You’re also stressed and overworked.” he added pointedly. Selene rubbed at her eyes, her spectacles half-hanging off her ear,

“It’s nothing I can’t handle Edwin.” she replied flatly. Edwin quirked an eyebrow,

“You honestly believe that? When was the last time you ate properly or even got a proper night’s rest?” he asked. When he got no reply, the cleric shook his head, “I thought as much.” he gave his old friend a worried look. The woman appeared to have lost a lot of weight over the last couple of months, “You really do need to take better care of yourself. You’re going to end up physically ill if you keep this up for too much longer.” Selene heaved a sigh, placing her glasses back on her nose,

“I’m fine.” she retorted,“I’m better keeping myself occupied anyway.” Edwin frowned a little,

“If by ‘occupied’ you mean ignoring all your personal problems hoping they’ll somehow just disappear?” he snorted, “Come on now Selene, you know that’s not going to help.” Selene narrowed her eyes at the man sitting opposite her,

“I’m doing no such thing.” she growled, “I simply want to keep myself busy rather than dwelling on things that are out of my control.” Edwin clasped his hands in front of him,

“I hate to break it to you, Selene, but there’s a lot of stuff that’s out of your control right now.” he pointed out, “And you and I both know you can’t keep running away from it all.” He remained sitting calmly in his seat as the Grand Magus suddenly stood up, seeming to loom over him,

“Thank you for your concern, Father Goodwin, but I have other matters to attend to.” she said, her voice low. A palpable air of menace followed the wizard out of the door, a gust of wind slamming it shut behind her. Edwin sighed in disappointment, hearing the dulled sound of a Teleport spell going off. He looked up to the magpie and held out his hand. Chrackle cocked his head and fluttered on the nature cleric’s hand. Edwin stroked the bird on his beak momentarily, the hand Chrackle was sitting on beginning to glow a faint spring green,

“Are you alright, my friend?” he asked in Sylvan. Chrackle croaked in disappointment as he settled, replying in the same tongue,

“Not particularly.” he admitted, “She’s being far too stubborn for her own good.” Edwin nodded as he tapped at his cheek with his free hand,

“You know her even better than I, how long has she been like this?” he asked. The magpie blinked tiredly,

“About a month since it’s started getting noticeable, probably a lot longer than that.” he replied, “It doesn’t help that the Council, Lord Schreiber in particular, don’t seem to appreciate the work that the Wizard’s Council does.”

“How so?”

“Well, they keep stopping my mistress from actually investigating potential magical threats to Toreguard. I think they’re terrified that, by doing so, she’s inviting the trouble in the first place. They’d rather ignore the problem until it’s bashing the gates down.”

“Or about to erupt from under their feet.” Edwin noted sardonically, recalling that Selene had initially contacted him from Yastromo’s Tower just under a year ago. Chrackle fluffed out his feathers,

“I’ve been trying to convince her that she’s not solely responsible for Toreguarde’s safety, but that advice has been falling on deaf ears for pretty much the last three years. Even more since Elowyn and her friends have gotten involved.” Edwin hummed as he thought the situation over,

“I suppose it doesn’t help that there’s only the three of us left, and really only two for the moment given the Grudge Fangthane declared on us.” He patted Chrackle on the head, “I have my faith in Galana to turn to when such darkness looms in my heart, I get the feeling that Selene is rather rapidly losing what little she has left in herself and others.” The cleric sighed and switched back to common as the spell wore off, “Unfortunately, there is little I can do until she decides she wants to talk.” He allowed the disappointed magpie to flutter back to his perch and shook his head, quietly clasping his hands together and sending a prayer to Galana.

~*~

The rest of the day was something of a blur for the Grand Magus. While Council was closed early since the weather had turned so cold that the canals had completely frozen over, there was still work to be done in the tower’s main Librarium since the junior wizards seemed incapable of putting anything back in its rightful place. Most of the junior wizards had already left, the few that had remained were summarily chased home as the Grand Magus’ temper got the better of her upon seeing the state of the place.

Dwena looked down from the top of the ladder she had climbed, placing the scrolls in her hand gently on the shelf in front of her,

“I know you like things to be kept orderly, Grand Magus, but screaming at a group of younglings isn’t going to get them to learn any faster.” she said, while Selene sorted through a pile of books, muttering darkly under her breath and only barely suppressing a cough. The human looked up at the gnome, glaring with an intensity that would make anyone else run for the hills,

“I wouldn’t need to if they would just put things back where they found them!” she snapped, “It’s a complete waste of my time!” Dwena shrugged, checking the arcane signature written around a scroll and creating a portal to the other side of the massive space,

“Just an observation, my Lady. The young folk have a tendency to be a little thick-headed and seem to have an existential need to rebel when their elders get…shouty.” she pointed out. Dwena closed the portal again as she placed that scroll back on the correct shelf, gripped the sides of the ladder and slid down to ground level. Selene had, by now, gathered up an armful of books and was storming over to a set of nearby shelves, her bun having come undone, her hair swishing behind her. The middle aged Wizard sneezed a few times as she placed the books back onto their shelves. Dwena adjusted the strap of the carrier and her shoulder and scurried after the Grand Magus,

“Look, let me deal with the rest of this. It’s way past lunch time, and you haven’t had a chance to eat yet.” she suggested, finally coming level with the human. Selene shook her head, irritably checking the title of the tome on top of the pile she was carrying,

“I’m fine, I can eat after I finish putting all these back in their proper places.” Dwena pouted,

“That’s going to take the rest of the day.” she pointed out, crossing her arms over her chest, “There’s nothing wrong with taking a break for twenty minutes, stop being so damned stubborn!” Selene, who had been concentrating on the task at hand, suddenly froze as she heard, not Dwena’s voice, but the voice of a familiar, if ticked off woodling crying out in frustration.

_Alexis yelled in frustration,_

_“How in all the Hells did he find this many damn zombies to raise?” she asked, slotting yet another half-decomposed crocodile through the head. Selene steadied herself as the raft she and her friends were on rocked violently,_

_“Don’t ask me.” she sniped, casting another Fireball at the centipede bearing down on her, “I just hope he runs out soon, I’m almost tapped out.” Fai grunted as his Lightning Bolt sailed over the head of his own opponent,_

_“Yeah, same here.” he panted. There was a momentary silence before the flapping of enormous wings overhead heralded the arrival of the Dracolich responsible for the party’s current woes. Selene froze, staring up at the huge black monstrosity._

Dwena frowned, cautiously stepping towards the the human,

“Uhh… Are you ok?” she asked, noticing that Selene’s breath was coming in quick and shallow bursts and that her eyes were somewhat glazed over. The gnome gingerly touched the other woman’s leg, only to be bowled over unexpectedly as Selene lashed out blindly with a blast of arcane energy. Dwena shook her head as she landed hard on the marble floor, dazed by the impact, but otherwise unhurt. She looked up, her eyes widening as she felt a familiar pull of space around the Grand Magus,

“Selene!” was all the little wizard was able to yell before the human completed her Teleport. Dwena pulled herself up off the floor, shaking slightly.

_~Cerulis! Get your ass in here!~_ she called, trying and failing to quell her own panic. The scrolls and loose parchments in the area fluttered as the air swirled around them, coalescing into a tiny whirlwind about five inches tall, made visible only by the dust it whipped up by its presence and its glowing blue eyes.

_~Yes mistress?~_ the elemental sighed, clearly irritated at being summoned in such a manner. Dwena glared at it,

_~I’ve no time for your backchat. I need you to go and grab Thazaar and Thaddeus from their offices and get them down here, like now!~_ she snapped. The air elemental increased its wind speed a little as it huffed, but it blinked slowly,

_~Of course mistress. Was there anything else?~_ it asked, sending Dwena the impression of crossing its non-existant arms. The gnome grimaced a little but nodded,

_~Yes, after you grab those two from the Tower, I need you to go and tell General Strucker that our dear Grand Magus is… currently MIA.~_ she told it. Cerulis blinked again,

_~And what about Chancellor Schreiber?~_ it asked. Dwena, who was searching in her pockets for some chalk, glanced up at her familiar, thinking the question over. Eventually she shook her head,

_~No, that’ll just make matters worse.~_ she decided, then glared at the elemental, _~Can you get a move on please? This is kind of urgent.~_ The elemental blew its collected dust at her feet, then disappeared from sight. Dwena blew out her cheeks as she glared at the floor where her familiar had been, before finally finding the chalk she had been searching for and quickly drawing out the arcane pattern of Selene’s last spell on the floor.

It didn’t take long for both Thaddeus and Thazaar to appear in the library, both of them wearing extremely concerned expressions. Thaddeus was the first to speak,

“What happened Dwena?” he asked, quickly pulling out a pair of rock crystal spectacles similar to the Grand Magus’ and placing them on his nose. Dwena looked up from her inspection of the arcane circle she had drawn into the floor,

“I wish I knew.” she replied, her voice tight with worry, “I was assisting Lady Frigidwake with all the books and scrolls that needed to be put back in their proper places, I try and convince her to lay off on the students then she just… stops, starts panicking and lashes out at me when I try to find out what in all the hells is going on. She Teleported out of here pretty much immediately after.” Thazaar frowned, tapping his finger on his chin,

“We can work out what happened when we find her.” he stated, “My main concern is finding out where she could possibly have Teleported to.” Dwena made a slight whining noise in her throat,

“That could be anywhere in the Plains area.” she pointed out, “She wasn’t thinking clearly when she cast. She’s also coming down with something, she’s been coughing and sneezing pretty much all morning.” Thaddeus hummed as he traced Dwena’s chalk outline,

“I can’t make out anything useful here. Looks like she managed to miscast. If she’s been coughing and sneezing as well, it’s likely she’s coming down with Weaver’s Fever.“

“I’ll see if I can coax Chrackle into helping us, no doubt he’s a lot more worried about our dear Lady than we are.” Thazaar suggested, with a sigh. Dwena chewed on the inside of her cheek,

“He could be anywhere as well though. Selene gives him a lot of leeway to roam around the city.” she pointed out. Thazaar smiled,

“Then it’s a good thing I have a companion who can easily pick him out.” he replied kindly, giving what appeared to be a feather scarf around his neck a gentle nudge. Dwena’s eyes went wide, biting back a squeal of excitement as a young Couatl lazily lifted its head from beneath the collar of Thazaar’s coat. It yawned widely and flicked out its tongue briefly before speaking,

“Yes, what is it?” she asked mildly. Thazaar tickled the creature beneath her chin for a moment,

“We have something of an emergency.” he explained, “The Grand Magus has, quite frankly, disappeared on us, and I would quite like the chance to locate her using her familiar.” The couatl cocked her head slightly, considering the wizard’s words,

“I can attempt to locate him for you.” she agreed, “It shouldn’t take long, I can’t imagine that many wizards take magpies as familiars, so finding one saturated with magic should be simple enough.” she pointed out. Thazaar beamed at the creature and stretched out his arm to allow her to slither to his hand,

“Thank you Isda, your help in this matter is greatly appreciated.” The couatl gazed up at him, seeming to smile as she unfurled her shining, multi-coloured wings,

“It is no trouble when the circumstances are this dire.” she replied, a golden nimbus of light surrounding her, causing the celestial creature’s form to shimmer, then vanish from sight. Thaddeus, who was using what appeared to be a silver wand of some kind to prod at the latent magical energy over the circle Dwena had drawn, grunted,

“Let’s just hope the damned bird isn’t so frantic he can’t think straight himself.”

~*~

Edwin tried to keep Chrackle in sight as the frantic magpie flew on ahead. To say the nature cleric had been surprised when the magical bird had suddenly flown into the window of his office was something of an understatement. The man had been even more surprised when the magpie had harangued him into following it, cackling and squawking the whole time. That Chrackle was very worried was obvious, but Edwin hadn’t been able to discern what had happened before the bird had led him out of the Eastern gate of the city. Luckily, it seemed that whatever had happened to Selene, she hadn’t gone far as he finally caught sight of a familiar woman wearing silver-grey robes and an orange belt sitting by the edge of the canal, hugging her knees to her chest and staring at the water, a large oak staff lying to one side. Edwin sighed in relief,

“Well, at least she didn’t end up on the other side of the Plains.” he muttered, frowning in worry at the sight of his old friend. Chrackle landed on the ground next to his wizard and gently poked at her hand with his beak, hopping back and looking up at her, cocking his head when he received no immediate response. Edwin cautiously made his way to the canal bank and crouched down near his old friend, laying his own staff to the side. Selene made no move to acknowledge either his or her familiar’s presence aside from hugging her knees a little tighter and trying to suppress a chesty-sounding cough.

Now that he was close enough to take a decent look at her, Edwin noticed just how unwell Selene actually was. While she had always been pale, the slender woman’s skin had taken on a somewhat sallow hue, what features he could see were drawn and the hair that had come loose from its habitual bun was stringy and limp. The cleric sighed,

“What happened?” he asked, keeping his voice low and body language as relaxed as he could manage. For several long moments there was no reply, or even any indication that the woman had heard him. Eventually, however, the wizard shifted a little, and buried her head in the crook of her arms,

“I don’t want to talk about it.” she muttered, her voice muffled. She sneezed a few times and sniffled pitifully once she was done. Edwin bit back the urge to cluck his tongue at her. Getting frustrated was not going to help matters, he knew. Instead, he took off his cloak and wrapped it securely around the wizard. The cleric then sat down, leaned back on his hands and looked out over the canal.. Chrackle croaked sadly and nudged at Selene’s knee, fluttering up and perching on her shoulder when that received no response. Edwin’s and Chrackle’s heads turned, noticing a golden shimmer appearing just in front of them. Even Selene looked up, frowning at first. A small, snake like form with what appeared to be feathery wings faded into existence and gazed unblinkingly at the three figures sitting on the canalside. The creature cocked its head when it glanced over to Selene, and once again when it noticed Edwin sitting nearby, his mouth agape at the sight.

Isda crooned a little,

“Ah, well this is good.” she said, “The others will be glad to know that you are both safe and well, and with a companion no less.” The couatl hovered over to Selene, almost seeming to narrow its eyes as it looked at her. Selene blinked owlishly, not quite sure if she was truly seeing the creature,

“Where did you come from?” she finally asked, glancing briefly over at Edwin, who simply shrugged. Isda smiled gently, hovering about half a foot in front of the Grand Magus,

“Thazaar requested my assistance.” she replied, her voice lilting as she spoke, “He will be relieved to know that you didn’t go very far. His friends were concerned that they couldn’t make out where you’d gone.” Edwin cleared his throat, finally finding his voice,

“Not that I’m at all displeased to see a creature of the Upper Planes or anything, but I am somewhat curious as to why you’re even on the Material Plane.” he admitted. Isda turned her gaze to him and cocked her head,

“I will be more than happy to answer your questions another time, good Father.” she replied, not at all unkindly then glanced back to Selene who was watching the little celestial creature somewhat warily, “For now, I rather think we had better get the Grand Magus back to the Wizard’s Tower before word of her disappearance spreads too far.” she suggested. Chrackle croaked his agreement and gently gripped his wizard’s shoulder a little more tightly. Edwin nodded and looked Selene over,

"Indeed, the sooner the better. It’s not a good idea for any of us to be out here longer than necessary.” Selene nodded and made a motion as if to cast, but she was quickly interrupted by Isda.

“Please, allow me.” she said, coming between Edwin and Selene, casting a concerned glance at the Wizard, who had started coughing again. Before Selene could object, the Couatl cast, causing the little group to shimmer then vanish. A heron that had just landed on the opposite bank near the reeds, blinked as the two humans and weird shiny creature suddenly disappeared, but was quickly distracted as it tried to grab at the fish swimming around its feet beneath the ice.

~*~

General Strucker was already waiting in the Grand Magus’ office, along with Thaddeus and Dwena when the Wizard suddenly appeared out of nowhere along with her magpie, another human man with a well kept wood-brown beard and some sort of shining snake creature with feathered wings.

“Ah, there you are. I was just about to go and get the lads to organise a search party.” Strucker said, putting his helmet back down on the table he was standing next to. Dwena, forgetting all propriety, rushed over to Selene and hugged her tightly,

“I’m sorry.” she wailed, “I didn’t mean to yell, I was just getting super frustrated and…” Selene, cut the gnome’s ramblings off as she gently pushed the other woman away and crouched down to her level,

“No Dwena, if anything I should be the one apologising.” she stated, laying a hand on the other wizard’s shoulder, guilt written all over her freckled features. “I didn’t hurt you did I?” she asked. Dwena relaxed a little and shook her head,

“No, I was just a bit startled is all.” she replied then frowned, “Where did you go anyway? Thaddeus tried to track your location through the magic your Teleport spell left behind, but it was way too chaotic to make out properly.” Edwin stepped forward as he noticed his old friend tense,

“A little outside the city on the Eastern side.” he explained, he gave Selene a mildly concerned glance before returning his attention to the confused gnome, “Apparently there’s a spot along the canal that Lady Frigidwake is at least somewhat familiar with.” Thaddeus frowned as he looked the Grand Magus over,

“It’s a relief to know that you didn’t go very far. Making any attempt to cast anything, never mind a Teleport, when you’re not thinking straight is incredibly foolish.“ He stated, crossing his arms and giving the flagging woman in front of him a hard stare, "In any case, I think it would be best if we all forget getting any work done for the rest of the day given the situation.” He added as Selene broke out into a sneezing fit. General Strucker nodded,

“That’s the best suggestion I’ve heard all day.” he said, beaming at the lanky wizard. Selene frowned as she looked around the room,

“So where’s Thazaar?” she asked. At this the General cleared his throat, almost guiltily,

“He’s dealing with Schreiber.” he replied, “The little whirlwind creature that Dwena sent to fetch me turned up in the middle of a meeting and, being the idiot man that he is, Reginald demanded to know the whats wheres and whys immediately.” Selene’s complexion paled some more,

“Oh by all the gods.” she groaned, “I’m never going to hear the end of this. Schreiber’s going to…” The wizard trailed off as a swell of panic gripped her throat. Edwin quickly laid a hand on her free shoulder, while Chrackle nuzzled at her ear in a comforting gesture,

“I’m sure it will be fine.” he said, “We can deal with this Lord Schreiber later, it’s been a long day for all of us. Besides, the General said that this Thazaar is already dealing with him.” Selene shook her head quickly,

“You don’t understand Edwin. I had a meeting with him this afternoon and he’s not going to be satisfied talking with someone other than me about all this and…” she rambled. Edwin gripped her shoulder more tightly, his frowned deepening,

“Selene, enough!” he called firmly, a small ripple of power emanating from him, causing the woman to stop in her tracks and stare at him, wide-eyed. The cleric sighed,

“Alright, you might not like what I have to say, but I am saying it not just as a cleric, but as your friend.” he said, his voice low and tone firm, “You are in no fit state to go and speak with anyone in any official capacity, either physically or mentally.” he told her, “You’ve already successfully managed to make yourself physically ill. Which means that you are going straight to bed before you end up making yourself any worse.” he said, starting to lead Selene across the office to the door of her private quarters. Selene suddenly dug her heels in and slapped Edwin’s hand off her shoulder,

“I’m fine Edwin.” she snapped, “I case you hadn’t noticed, I’m a grown woman and can take care of myself.” Thaddeus snorted as the Grand Magus devolved into another coughing fit,

“Really? Here I was thinking you were a petulant teenager, with the way you’ve been acting recently.” Dwena dithered nervously, wringing her hands,

“I don’t normally like agreeing with Mr Grumpsalot over there, but he has a point.” she said quietly, “You haven’t really been yourself for ages and we’re worried about you.” Selene’s glare lifted at the gnome’s words, her initial anger and irritation deflating at her fellow wizard’s tone. She glanced to Chrackle, who chuckled quietly, looking at her almost nervously, though his expression brightened as he finally re-established his link with his mistress,

_~They’re right, you know.~_ he said, keeping his mental voice low so as not to set her off again, _~You’ve been pushing yourself way too hard for far too long. You’ve been shutting off more often too, and that’s a scary thing to deal with on my end because I’m supposed to be the one creature you can’t hide anything from.~_ Selene’s throat constricted painfully as she felt the jumble of emotions coming from her familiar. Edwin, who had initially crossed his arms when Selene had slapped his hand away, uncrossed them and shook his head, with a paternal sigh,

“Bed.” he said simply, gently chivvying his friend to her private quarters, channeling a Remove Disease spell upon laying his hand on her shoulder again. He glanced back at the two other wizards, the couatl and the General, “If you can stay put for five minutes, I need to talk to you all.” he requested. Thaddeus shrugged and sat down on the chair in front of the desk, while General Strucker nodded, found another chair and gingerly sat down in it, the wood creaking loudly in protest but holding the man’s weight. Dwena frowned a little more in concern, but nodded and hopped up onto a footstool. Isda inclined her head and curled around a nearby potted plant, gently folding her wings and tucking her nose under part of her body while she waited.

~*~

Edwin pinched his nose as Selene finally started to realise just how utterly exhausted she felt and collapsed into a large wingback chair by the fireplace,

“I said bed, but I suppose that’s a start.” he groused. He found another large armchair sitting just across from her, sat down in it and steepled his fingers as he looked at her, “Right, come on, start talking.” he said. Selene frowned at him in mild confusion, her hair now hanging around her face. She sighed as she pushed the auburn coloured locks aside,

“About what?” she asked sulkily, too exhausted to actually be irritated with the cleric. Edwin, leaned back in his seat gesturing to his old friend,

“Well let’s start with what’s been bothering you these last few months. You didn’t end up having what seems to have been a nervous breakdown out of nowhere, Selene.” he said pointedly. Chrackle squawked his agreement from the back of the chair. Selene let her hand flop down and gave Edwin a somewhat flat look, before staring into the fireplace,

“It’s not something I really want to talk about.” she said. The cleric puffed out his cheeks in exasperation, but somehow found it within himself to keep calm,

“I know you’ve never been one to talk about personal matters with other people, Sel.” he said, “But this is getting completely out of hand.” The wizard shook her head,

“I can’t… not right now anyway. Look, just drop it. Please.” Edwin noticed the tension in his old friend and relented. Heaving a sigh he rubbed at his forehead,

“Alright, fine.” he agreed with a grumble, “But you need to talk to me sooner rather than later. You can’t keep carrying the weight of… whatever this is by yourself.” Selene hugged herself, sinking further into the chair and glanced over at the cleric, the worry on his face making him suddenly look a lot older than he was. The beard really didn’t help either, she decided, even if it did rather suit him. When he received no reply, Edwin shook his head and pulled himself up from his seat,

“You know where to find me when you decide to stop being such a child about this.” he said, his tone defeated. He looked over to Chrackle, who croaked and nodded. With one last look in Selene’s direction, Galana’s High Priest swept out of the room and closed the door quietly behind him, leaving Selene to consider his words. Chrackle fluttered down to perch on the wizard’s knee, glaring up at her. Selene rubbed a hand over her suddenly very sore head as the magpie finally laid into her.

_~You are being a proper idiot about this, you know that right?~_

_~I can’t get him involved in this Chrackle. It’s bad enough Schreiber has it in for me, I don’t want him getting rid of the only other one of us left!~_

_~You honestly think Schreiber doesn’t know he was with you guys? His statue is in the plaza outside along with yours.~_

_~That’s not the point. Edwin isn’t on the Council so Reginald has no real reason to feel threatened by him.~_

_~You really think that once he gets word that the new Abouna is another Hero of Toreguard that he’s really just going to leave the man alone just because he’s not on the Council? Schreiber wants you all gone, or did you forget that little detail?~_

_~I didn’t forget you stupid bird! But as long as Schreiber has me to worry about, Edwin can get on with his life in some sort of peace.~_

_~Are you even listening to yourself? The whole reason Edwin is even halfway involved is because, despite everything, Schreiber has you backed into a corner you can’t get out of. If Edwin wants to help, let him.~_

_~Chrackle, enough! I can’t let Edwin get involved in this, end of story.~_

_~Even if the fight is pretty much killing you?~_

_~…~_

_~I thought as much. Far be it for me to make assumptions, but if you care about the Abouna so much, let him in. I’m pretty certain you’ll find that the feelings are mutual.~_

_~I don’t…. It’s not…~_

_~Uh-huh. You do remember we’re empathically linked right? I’m not an idiot Mistress.~_

_~That’s not fair Chrackle.~_

_~But fighting a losing war with no support is?~_

_~…~_

_~At least let him help. I can’t and won’t keep watching this eat away at you, not when assistance has been offered.~_

_~I’m sorry. I’ll… speak to him in the morning.~_

_~Good, that’s all I’m asking.~_

~*~

Edwin grimaced as he exited the Grand Magus’ private quarters and looked around at the other people still waiting in the office. It took the cleric a moment to realise that an extra person had arrived in the meantime, a tall half elf with red hair and tanned skin. The new wizard inclined his head,

“Ah, greetings to you good Father.” he called, striding across the room and holding out his hand, “Thazaar Clayrmantle, I’m the Grand Magus’ Second.” he greeted. Edwin took the offered hand and shook it firmly,

“Edwin Goodwin, new Abouna of the Church of Galana.” he replied. Thazaar smirked a little,

“I gathered as much from Dwena and Isda.” he said. The smile dropped a little as the two men walked over to the desk, “How is she?” he asked, his voice low. Edwin grumbled a little as he pulled up a chair,

“She’s definitely been better.” he admitted, “I’ve tried a Remove Disease on whatever malady it is that she’s picked up, so she should just need some rest. Unfortunately it would seem that she’s very reticent to talk to me about what’s going on in that head of hers.” he added with a grumble. Dwena, who was still sitting on her footstool, grimaced,

“Yeah, she’s been shutting us out lately too.” she said, “I’m not sure if it’s something to do with the Council being more idiotic since the whole Darkhide matter came to light or if it’s more to do with the fact that Lady Elowyn and her friends have been so heavily involved in matters outside the city.” Thaddeus snorted,

“It’s probably both. The people on the Merchant’s Council have never liked the fact that His Lordship is letting young Lady Elowyn and her companions get away with so much. Add to that the fact that they’re not happy with the fact that Lady Frigidwake was an adventurer herself, retired from that particular path though she may be, and you’ve got a recipe for an incredibly hostile environment. Frankly, I’m amazed it took so long for her to crack.” Edwin snorted,

“Given the woes that have been plaguing Allansia recently, I’m surprised the Council isn’t clamouring for more to be done to take care of their interests.” General Strucker grumbled and crossed his arms over his chest,

“Most of the fops that make up the nobles and merchants that sit on the Council don’t care about matters outside the city walls. All they want is to line their pockets.” Edwin frowned,

“Surely they can’t stop caring about any problems elsewhere in Allansia if it disrupts trade with the other parts of the continent?” The General snorted, blowing some loose hairs out of his impressive moustache,

“You are severely underestimating how short-sighted these… gentlemen… are.” he grumbled, “I deal with Lord Schreiber, the Lord Chancellor of the Triumverate, on a regular basis. I’ve been very tempted to throw him through the window of the meeting rooms on several occasions.” As the older man spoke, Edwin thought back to Selene’s initial meeting with the Fangthane Council and how impressed he had been with her calm demeanor, even when she was being harangued on all sides. Clearly she hadn’t been exaggerating when she mentioned dealing with far worse. Thazaar sighed,

“Speaking of our dear Chancellor, I’ve tried to fob him off as best I can, but he’s going to want to have words with our dear Grand Magus sooner or later.” Strucker snorted,

“I’ll deal with him.” he said, “Reginald is less likely to ignore anything I have to say regarding the current situation.” Edwin shook his head,

“Even if he listens to you, General, it isn’t going to solve the problem.” he pointed out, “Selene clearly needs to take a break from all of her responsibilities, and I doubt she’ll actually do it so long as she stays in Toreguarde.” Thaddeus nodded,

“The Abouna’s right.” he sighed, “We’ll need to convince her that it’s a good idea to take some time away from the city until she’s fully ready to get back to work.” Thazaar drummed his fingers on the desk he was sitting on,

“If you are agreeable, General Strucker, I think it would be best if we held a General Council meeting regarding the matter first.” he said, “We don’t need to give any specific details, we need only tell them that Lady Frigidwake is unwell and is taking some time to recuperate outwith the city. The Grand Magus will be far less likely to argue with us if we already have the backing of the General Council.” General Strucker smoothed out his moustache as he mulled the proposition over. Eventually he nodded,

“Yes, I rather think that should do the trick.” he said, “I’ll have a word in Reginald’s ear on my way past his office. Just so he’s not caught entirely off-guard, you know.” Dwena grinned as she hopped off her seat,

“I’ll let the rest of the library’s staff know what’s going on. Just in case Selene takes it into her head to convince them that working there is a good alternative to resting in the meantime.” she glanced up at Edwin’s confused frown and shrugged, “She’s done it before.” was all the gnome could say. Edwin grumbled, holding his fingers to his temple,

“Of course she would.” he muttered. “Actually, while I think about it, it might be a good idea for me to take Chrackle back to the Church of Galana with me, at least temporarily.” he suggested, “As much as it might annoy him, he and Selene have been clashing a lot lately and it probably isn’t helping matters.” Thaddeus laughed,

“Well, I hope you have plenty of proper gold on you, Abouna. The bird’s worse than most dragons.” Edwin chuckled,

“Oh, believe me, I know.” he said, “It’s why I’ve looked out a couple of things that I know for certain he’ll want to add to his collection, just in case I needed a decent bribe.” Thazaar tapped his chin thoughtfully,

“In which case, I’ll ask Isda to talk to him. Given that the Grand Magus is ill, I don’t think it’s a good idea for any of the rest of us to disturb her.” Edwin nodded,

“I’ll head on back to the Church in the meantime. If any of you need me, I’ll keep the scrying pool open.” He said. Thaddeus stretched and sighed,

“Well, seeing as we don’t have anything else to do, I might as well head down to the Scholar. I need a decent drink after all that.” He noted. Dwena shook her head,

“I’d better make sure the Squiggly Diddles are settled.” She said, “I also have some research to be getting on with.” Thaddeus shrugged and looked over to Thazaar and General Strucker. Thazaar nodded after a moment’s thought,

“Why not? I can pop round after I’ve sent that message to the Council.” General Strucker also nodded,

“No doubt I’ll want a stiff pint of stout once I’m done talking to Reginald.” He noted. Thaddeus snorted in amusement,

“You could save yourself the bother and chuck him out the window straight away.” He suggested. The general guffawed heartily,

“Were I a lesser man, perhaps.” He retorted, “As it is, I rather like my job.” Edwin shook his head as he retrieved his cloak from where it had fallen on the floor and wrapped it around his shoulders. He gave the group a wave as he finally exited the large room and started making his way down the stairs.

~*~

Selene groaned at the gentle rapping on the door to her private quarters. She blinked blearily, wincing at the bright sunshine that was pouring through the crack between the heavy curtains.

“It’s just me, Grand Magus.” May’s voice called, somewhat muffled by the door, “I just wanted to know if you needed anything?” The wizard squinted as she peeked out from under her duvet, trying to ignore the fact that everything felt far too heavy and sort of… achey? She slowly raised her head as the door slowly creaked open. May cocked her head as she took in the bedraggled appearance of the Grand Magus. The older woman’s face was somewhat flushed, an indication that she had developed what seemed to be a low-grade fever overnight. The maid also noted the listless way her boss held herself as the wizard finally pulled herself somewhat upright.

“Are you alright, my Lady?” May finally asked. Selene nodded as she rubbed at her eyes, ignoring the burning sensation in the ends of her fingers,

“Yes, yes, I’m fine.” she muttered, realising that just sitting up had taken far more effort than she would have liked. Pushing the thought to one side, Selene finally looked up at the maid, who was hovering in the doorway and eyeing the other woman suspiciously.

“No, really, I’m fine. It’s just everything finally catching up on me now I’ve been forced to stop.” she said. May pursed her lips at the Grand Magus’ attempt to be reassuring,

“If you say so, Grand Magus.” she said doubtfully, “I brought up some breakfast, nothing too heavy, just some fruit, toasted bread and a pot of tea.” The younger woman couldn’t help the small smile as Selene’s face fell a little, “I take it Father Goodwin neglected to mention that he’s banned the bloc coffee?” she surmised. Selene grumbled and crossed her arms over her chest moodily,

“I don’t see why he’s so insistent on treating me like a child.” she muttered. May stopped short of snorting and instead busied herself with re-starting the fire,

“The Abouna, along with Magus Thazaar, just wants to ensure you a speedy recovery Ma’am.” she said, “He seems rather fond of you.” she noted. Selene sighed, leaning back into her pillows and tilting her head back,

“He’s an old and trusted friend.” she said, “We travelled together for a good length of time before he was made the High Priest of the Temple of Galana in Fangthane.” The wizard smiled softly at the memory, “I suppose I just forgot how… overprotective he could be. Especially when we tried to do something stupid.” May sat back on her heels as the fire crackled to life and looked over to the Grand Magus, who was half lost in her thoughts,

“Well, if he’s half the cleric he is in the stories, then you’ll be back up on your feet in no time.” she said with a more genuine smile. The maid got up and dusted down her checkered pinnie, “I’ll bring your breakfast in, then get to cleaning the office. Just shout if you want me.” she said, bustling out of the room. Selene tilted her head back down to watch the maid leave, wincing slightly at the twinge in her neck,

“Well, at least Chrackle’s not here to add a headache to the list.” she groused. The clink of china against cutlery announced May’s reappearance. The maid laid the tray on the table next to the bed and poured out a cup of the tea. That done, the younger woman turned her attention to the pillows, readjusting them so that Selene could sit up properly. She bobbed in a curtsy once the wizard was comfortable,

“Is there anything else for the moment, my Lady?” she asked. Selene shook her head, reaching over, picking up the cup and taking a sip of the tea,

“No, that will be everything for now, May. Thank you.” she replied. May curtsied again and left the room, closing the door quietly behind her and leaving the Grand Magus in peace. As soon as the younger woman was gone, Selene leaned further back into the pillows with a hefty sigh and looked over to her favourite reading chair,

“Maybe I should try that later.” she muttered to herself, looking over to the package that lay on the other side of the bed. Putting her tea down, the wizard frowned as she pulled the package towards her knees, taking off the parchment note on the top and quickly reading it.

**Alexis left this behind when she left Fangthane with Fai and Ivan. There are some loose pieces of parchment that Ivan recently sent me added in at the back. Hopefully this should bring some degree of closure for both you and young Elowyn.**

**Edwin.**

Selene looked between the note and the package for several long moments. Finally, with shaky fingers, she laid down the note, undid the knot on the string and tore off the paper to reveal a battered looking, leather bound journal, held firmly shut with a thong of wrapped leather. The wizard swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat, too distracted to notice the sharp pain that came with the motion and the burning sensation that was running up her arms. Shaking her head, Selene gingerly placed the journal on the tray with her breakfast and instead turned her attention to the heavy tome she had been reading two days before, which was still lying on the floor next to the chair. Her mind made up, Selene pulled on her dressing gown, picked up her glasses and somehow made it to the chair by the fireplace, flopping into it. She took several heavy breaths before she even attempted to move again,

_~Alright, maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.~_ she thought to herself as her arms and legs trembled with the effort. When she had finally caught her breath, Selene adjusted her position, placed her glasses firmly on her nose and picked up the book, laying it on her lap as she opened the cover. It didn’t take long for the mixture of pure physical exhaustion and the warmth of the fire to lull the Grand Magus back to sleep, her hands slipping off the book and her head lolling to one side, causing her glasses to half fall off her face as she drifted off.

~*~

Lord Reginald Schreiber took a moment to readjust his shirt and tie when he finally reached the top of the massive spiral staircase. It wouldn’t do to visit the Grand Magus while she recovered from her sudden affliction looking untidy after all. Once he was happy, the man knocked smartly on the heavy oak door in front of him, picking the bag he had brought with him back up as the door creaked open a little, revealing the pretty face of the Grand Magus’ personal maid. Schreiber smiled warmly,

“Ah, good afternoon May. I heard that Lady Frigidwake was feeling a bit ill of late. Is she well enough to take visitors?” he asked. May nervously shook her head,

“‘Fraid not my Lord. My Lady has been given strict instructions to rest and avoid anythin’ related to Council business.” she replied. Schreiber chuckled,

“I’m not here on business May.” he said, his tone reassuring, “I simply wished to give the good Grand Magus a gift that will, hopefully, speed along her recovery.” he added, gesturing to the bag held in his arms. May narrowed her eyes briefly as she looked the bag over, but she presently nodded and opened the door wide enough to allow the nobleman inside. Schreiber gave the young woman a wide smile and a slight nod as he strode into the office. May closed the door and hurried over to pick up the cloth and polish she had been using,

“If you can put the bag on the desk, I’ll be more than ‘appy to give Lady Frigidwake your gift when I’m finished.” Schreiber scowled briefly as the maid turned her back to him, but quickly replaced it with a disarming smile,

“If it’s all the same to you, my dear, I’d rather give the Grand Magus the gift in person.” he said, “I am rather concerned about her given what has been happening in the city lately and wish to assure myself of her overall well being.” He didn’t miss the slight tension in the girl’s shoulders as she turned back to face him,

“My apologies, my Lord, but I’ve not been given leave to allow personal visits yet.” she said, nervously tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, “My Lady is in a very delicate state right now and…” she backed up into the table she had been polishing as Schreiber closed the distance between them,

“Oh I’m sure a quick visit won’t hurt.” he said, looming over the girl, “And we can keep this just between the two of us, right?” he added, his tone light. May shook a little as she stared up at the nobleman,

“B… but Father Tristan said…” she stammered. The Chancellor smiled widely,

“Oh I’m sure we don’t need to bother him.” he said, “Why don’t you go and make the good Lady and myself a pot of tea, I really won’t be long, I promise.” he suggested. “If it will make you feel better, I’ll happily wait until you get back.” he added. May nodded, swallowing thickly as her legs finally began to move again,

“O.. of course, my Lord.” she squeaked, ducking past the man and scurrying off through the servant’s door to the kitchens. Schreiber sneered as the maid finally left. No doubt the girl would run off to alert someone of his presence and intentions, so he didn’t have much time. The nobleman straightened and turned to the door leading to the Grand Magus’ private quarters. If all went well, he would be in and out before the maid came back. He quickly strode across the room and gingerly tested the doorknob. Finding no resistance, magical or otherwise, he smiled as he gently turned it, careful not to make too much noise.

Selene was sitting in one of the chairs by the fireplace, the book she had been reading lying open on her lap as she dozed, her spectacles half hanging off her ears and the flush of a fever spread across her cheeks. She startled awake at the sound of a gentle cough coming from somewhere nearby. Reginald Schreiber sat in the chair opposite her, looking quite worried,

“Ah, I’m sorry to startle you so Grand Magus.” he apologised, holding up his hands, “Had a tickle in my throat.” Selene gave the man an incredulous look as she slowly took off her spectacles and placed them on the book,

“I thought Father Tristan said I wasn’t to have any personal visits?” she said slowly, eyes tracking down to the bag that Schreiber held in his arms. The nobleman waved the comment off,

“Oh I’m sure a quick, two minute visit between friends won’t hurt.” he said airily, “Besides, I wished to give you the get well gift from myself and several other Council members personally.” Schreiber pulled out a bottle of wine that he demonstrated was clearly unopened and a bag of grapes, “You are free to have both tested if you wish, I understand that it’s common practice to be somewhat paranoid.” Selene narrowed her eyes, slowly placing the book on the floor beside her chair,

“What do you want Reginald?” she asked, with a slight growl. Schreiber kept his smile in place,

“Just a short chat.” he said, inspecting his fingernails, “I heard that Lady Elowyn and her friends have somehow managed to wrangle a visit to Fangthane and had a couple of questions about that is all.” the man glanced up at the Grand Magus, who had paled under the flush across her cheeks. Selene frowned as she attempted to re-gather her wits about her,

“Why don’t you ask her yourself rather than bothering me about it?” she asked, the familiar feeling of anger and frustration bubbling up in her stomach. Schreiber clucked his tongue unhappily, cleaning out the dirt that had collected under his fingernails,

“You know why.” he retorted, his smile dropping, “If there is a way to re-open communications with Fangthane, I’d rather you shared. Especially as the trade between our two states is so profitable.” Selene scowled gripping at the armrests of her chair,

“Well, perhaps you and your friends should have thought about that before deciding that the dwarves already living here weren’t worth your time.” she spat, wheezing slightly as she ended her tirade. Schreiber merely raised an eyebrow, as the Grand Magus got up and loomed over him, feeling the pull of magical energy around the woman as she rose. He took a breath to speak as she stepped forward, his words dying on his lips as the woman’s legs suddenly gave out from under her and she collapsed to the floor. The nobleman nervously got up and kneeled next to the wizard, gently shaking her shoulder,

“Grand Magus?” he called softly, breathing a slight sigh of relief when he realised that, while unconscious, she was still breathing, though her fever did appear to be rising if the darkening flush was anything to go by. He rocked back on his heels and snorted, “Well that saves me some trouble.” he muttered. Schreiber dusted off his hands, glanced down at the Grand Magus again, smirked and picked up the bottle of wine and bag of grapes. He vacated the room and placed the two items on the desk in the main office, checking his reflection in the large mirror set to one side. The man readjusted his shirt and hair and nodded to himself,

“Now to play the ignorant fop.” he muttered, sitting down on one of the chairs next to the desk and smoothing out his trousers.

~*~

It didn’t take long until the door at the far end of the room creaked open again to reveal May, who was carrying a tray filled with a large pot and two teacups. The young woman frowned in confusion as she saw Lord Schreiber waiting patiently by the desk, one leg crossed over the other as he enjoyed the view out of the large windows. He looked over to the maid with a smile, catching her off-guard,

“The tea you requested my lord.” she said slowly, placing the tray on the desk and eyeing the nobleman suspiciously. Schreiber nodded,

“Thank you so much, my dear.” he said, “This will do very nicely.” He turned in his seat as the main door to the office crashed open to reveal a very annoyed cleric of Pelor. Father Tristan’s messy blonde hair had come loose from its normal braid and his green eyes narrowed further when he saw Toreguarde’s Lord Chancellor sitting nonchalantly at the desk by the windows. Schreiber nodded his head in greeting,

“Ah, good afternoon Father Tristan. Would you care to join us?” the cleric huffed through his nose as he strode across the room,

“No, thank you Lord Schreiber.” he said, “I’m actually here to find out what in all the bloody blazes you’re even doing here.” Schreiber’s face fell at the deeply unhappy expression on the other man’s face,

“I came to visit the Grand Magus. I’ve only just been informed of her ill health and wanted to assure myself of her general well-being.” he replied, blinking owlishly. Father Tristan hummed as he crossed his arms,

“I believe you were to be informed that the Grand Magus was to have no personal visits from any Council members for at least the next two weeks, City, or otherwise.” Schreiber glanced at the maid, who watched the two men nervously. He looked back to Father Tristan, his expression hurt,

“I’m so sorry, it seems that there was a miscommunication.” he said, shaking his head apologetically, “I wasn’t made aware of that, only that the Grand Magus was unwell.” The nobleman bowed his head, his dark brown hair falling into his face. He caught the maid briefly opening then promptly closing her mouth before looking away out of the corner of his eye. He heard Father Tristan sigh irritably,

“Be that as it may, my Lord, I am still going to have to ask you to leave.” he grumbled. Schreiber brought his head back up,

“Of course, of course.” he said raising his hands in front of him as he stood, “Please do send Lady Frigidwake my best wishes for a speedy recovery from whatever malady ails her.” The nobleman bowed to the cleric, then turned to May,

“I’m so sorry to have wasted your time, my dear. Thank you so much for your hospitality.” he said, inclining his head. May frowned a little, but promptly curtsied,

“It was no trouble, my Lord.” she replied faintly. Schreiber nodded to her, then turned on his heel and strode out of the room, leaving just the cleric and a rather troubled maid in the office.

“Bloody politicians.” he muttered as the door clicked shut. He turned to May and gestured for her to sit, “Take five minutes and have some of that tea before getting back to work, my dear.” he said, “No use in it letting it go to waste.” May gave the cleric a tight smile,

“Thank you Father.” she said quietly, doing as she was bid and sitting down in the chair Schreiber had just vacated. Father Tristan shook his head as he walked across the room, knocked on the door to the Grand Magus’ private quarters and gingerly opened the door. May paid the action no mind, pouring out some tea into one of the cups. She was just grateful that Schreiber had left without just barging into her Lady’s bedchamber. She just about dropped the teapot at Father Tristan’s alarmed shout, placed the item back on the tray and hurried over to his side, her hands flying to her mouth at the sight that awaited her. Father Tristan turned his head,

“May, fetch Thazaar and send a runner to the Church of Galana.” he requested, turning back to the prone form of the Grand Magus and easily picking her up, his hands glowing a soft golden light with a channeled Heal spell. The young maid froze momentarily, but quickly re-gathered her wits, nodded and raced out of the office.

Father Tristan wasted no time, quickly getting the wizard into her bed and filling the nearby washbowl with water with a muttered prayer. He glanced at the woman as he found some cloths and soaked them. Selene was almost as white as her sheets aside from a dark flush across her nose and cheeks. He noted, with some worry, that her hands and what he could see of her arms were covered with a bluish-purple spider-like webbing, which was not only rapidly spreading, but darkening to black. Selene groaned a little as she finally started to come back around,

“Wha’s goin’ on.” she slurred, wincing at the light coming from the fireplace and Father Tristan’s hands as he placed the damp cloth on her forehead and held it there. The cleric sighed,

“You passed out near the fireplace.” he said, keeping his voice low, “I’d ask how you felt, but I think the question is rather redundant at this point.” The wizard coughed harshly,

“Sch…schreiber… he…” she managed before another coughing fit hit her. The cleric laid his free hand on her shoulder,

“Hush, my Lady. Lord Schreiber has been chased back to his own office. He won’t be bothering you any time soon.” Selene whined a little as she tried and failed to recall exactly what had happened, shivering violently as the Heal spell Father Tristan was channeling tried to fight off her fever. She didn’t hear the faint ‘whump’ of someone Teleporting into the office as she passed back into unconsciousness, though Father Tristan did turn his head at the sound of several people rushing across the office and towards the Grand Magus’ private room,

“I’d stay back, if I were you.” he called, “I don’t need any more of you catching this.” Thazaar, Thaddeus and Dwena stopped at the threshold to the bedroom,

“Care to explain Father?” Thaddeus asked impatiently, “Because I rather think…” Father Tristan turned around and glared at the other human, his dark eyes narrowing,

“If you want to take your chances on getting a taste of Burnout, be my guest.” he spat, “Otherwise, stay out there while I try to heal this!” Thazaar said nothing. He simply nodded and gently guided a stunned Thaddeus and trembling Dwena out into the office,

“What happened?” The half-celestial asked from the doorway, after ushering Dwena and Thaddeus to the opposite side of the other room. Father Tristan sighed wearily,

“I’m not entirely sure. Lord Schreiber apparently felt the need to visit and was waiting in the office when May came to fetch me. I think the Grand Magus probably heard him talking, got herself wound up, tried to come into the office to tell him off and passed out.” Thazaar swallowed the growl in the back of his throat,

_“Heimskur hálfviti.”_ the half-elf muttered darkly before recalling himself and looking over to the Pelorite, “How bad is it?” he asked, glancing down at the distressed woman the cleric was attempting to heal. Father Tristan shook his head,

“It’s hard for me to say.” he admitted, I’ve never really dealt with a full-blown case of Burnout before. I’ve really only read about it once or twice.” Thazaar forced himself to keep calm, it did no one any good if they started panicking. Selene whined a little as she shifted,

“Chr… ackle….” she muttered, trying lift her hand to apparently search for her familiar. At this an exhausted Abouna and a frantic magpie barrelled past the half-elf, half-celestial Wizard. Chrackle promptly flew straight from the cleric’s shoulder and landed with a croak on the pillow near his mistress’ head. The bird settled down and nuzzled at the sick wizard’s ear, crooning quietly. Edwin caught his breath, straightened up and quickly made his way to stand just behind Father Tristan, who shifted a little to give the other man some room,

“That was quick.” the Pelorite noted, replacing the cloth he had initially been using with a fresh one. Edwin nodded to Chrackle, who continued making soothing croaks and chuckles as his mistress started tossing and turning in her feverish state,

“Chrackle tends to make for an excellent early warning. I needed to head over to the market near here for some supplies when he suddenly started flying in the direction of the tower.” he noted, shaking back the sleeves of his robe, heading to the other side of the bed and taking a better look at his old friend. His breath caught in his throat as he caught sight of the rapidly blackening webbing, which was rapidly spreading up Selene’s chest onto her throat. He looked over to the other cleric,

“Do you have access to Heal?” he asked, noting that the other man was about ten years his junior. Father Tristan nodded,

“I do.” he confirmed. Edwin nodded in relief, took out his Holy Symbol, grasping it firmly by the leather strap and taking Selene’s hand with his own. Father Tristan did the same on the opposite side. Selene whined at the sensation and shifted again, her breathing starting to come in short, heavy bursts. Taking a deep breath to steady his fraying nerves, Edwin closed his eyes, reached out to Galana’s grace and cast.

A gentle green light emanated from Edwin’s hand and spread over both him and the prone wizard beneath him. Silver limned golden light joined with the garden green as Father Tristan prayed alongside the Abouna, creating a light bright enough to blind anyone that cared to observe. Edwin’s heart lifted slightly as he felt Selene’s body relax and heard her breathing ease ever so slightly. He attempted to push his Heal spell through the unusually strong magical resistance that the disease was putting up. Selene contorted painfully, her wrists twisting to an unnatural angle and her whole body tensing as both Edwin’s and Tristan’s spells were violently rebuffed. She keened as her head lolled to one side, causing Chrackle to squawk and flutter up to perch on a nearby hatstand. Father Tristan glanced over to Galana’s High Priest with worry. Edwin simply cast again, grunting in frustration as the spell was, once again, rebuffed. The Pelorite frowned as he looked back down at the Grand Magus,

~We’re stopping it from spreading, but nothing more.~ he thought grimly. The younger priest bowed his head, _Pelor, give me the strength to break through this.~_

Selene’s torso twitched again as she tried to pull her hands free from the grip of both Clerics,

“Stop…g’way. Let go.” she mumbled as her feverish mind plagued her with nightmares and hallucinations. Edwin simply tightened his grip on the slim hand in his, clasping his other one on top, ignoring the quickly rising heat that needled at his palms,

“C’mon, Sel. Don’t do this.” he muttered desperately as Selene gave a terrified whine and struggled some more.

~*~

Selene ran, or at least she tried to. The weeds hidden beneath the water of the swamp were catching and tugging at her ankles, threatening to pull her under. Behind her, the huge crowd of undead creatures waded after her, paying no mind to the plants snagging their ankles. The Wizard panted as the stifling heat of the swamp assailed her, causing sweat to drip from the curls of auburn hair that were stuck to her forehead, but she couldn’t afford to stop. Suddenly, she felt air beneath her foot, causing her to yelp and throw herself backwards into the murky, brackish water as a huge hole, about a mile wide, yawned in front of her. On the other side of it sat a ginormous black dragon, its skin peeling away in places to reveal the atrophied muscle and bone beneath, its wings were tattered as it spread them, a toothy grin spreading across a too-wide maw. It hissed as it noticed her,

“Well now. See what my little pets have brought for me.” Karalyx rumbled, “You’re a little late to the festivities my dear, but no matter. Your friends were happy to wait for you.” Appearing out of the gloom at the dragon’s feet, five figures loomed. Selene screamed and scrambled further back, Karalyx’s laughter booming in her ears as the horrific visages of the creatures that used to be her friends leered at her,

“Yes, Selene, join usss.” the withered face of Fai hissed, his blank eyes staring through Selene, “It won’t be the same without you.” he bared his teeth to reveal long, sharp canines. Selene shook her head vigorously,

“No, you’re not real.” she mumbled. She clamped her hands over her ears as Alexis’ distorted voice joined her fellow Wizard’s,

“It’s not so bad, Sel.” the mockery of the woodling’s voice wheedled as the heat around the slim woman rose even further and the swamp dissolved into a blank white nothingness, “It’s better than burning to death.” An almost entirely skeletal Hextor barked out a laugh,

“Save your breath. She’s not strong enough anyway.” he scoffed, “She never was.” The half-decomposed woodling tapped her chin thoughtfully,

“Yeah, you’re right.” she conceded, glaring at Selene, “Besides, it’s not like she even cares. She’s too busy to check in once in a while unless it suits her.” she spat, turning on her heel and striding away. The rest of the party turned with her, stalking off into the gloom, leaving the Wizard alone to curl into herself with a despondent sob, shivering despite the searing heat that pressed in around her.

~*~

Father Tristan let go of Selene’s hand with a yelp, staring at his hand,

“Abouna,” he called, “this isn’t working.” Edwin growled, his eyes squeezed shut as he cast yet another Heal,

“It will! It has to.” he snapped, his voice cracking. Selene choked out a sob as she writhed under the sheets, her now free hand reaching out into empty space,

“..n’t go…n’t leave…lone.” she mumbled, gasping for air as the blackened veins suddenly continued their advance up her throat and over her chin, the fever that still gripped the Wizard spiking to an almost unbearable heat. Father Tristan quickly grasped the freed hand again, ignoring the pain in his own as he did. The younger Cleric prayed desperately as he too tried even more fervently to get his Heal spell to break through and dispel the disease. Selene wheezed painfully as the divine magic tried to find a purchase, but was rebuffed yet again as the magic of the disease lashed back against it. Edwin tried to ignore the pain that tore at his heart at the sound, tried to shut out the grief building in his chest, but he couldn’t quite manage it.

“No! I’m not losing you too.” he snapped, his voice cracking some more as he tried again to get his spell to break through, only to have it bounce off entirely, “Damn you Sel, fight back!” he sobbed. Father Tristan fell back against the wall behind him, sweat pouring off his hair and face, his own reserves of magic finally giving out. He panted as he watched the Abounna’s attempts to break through the disease with dismay. The green light guttered briefly, before flaring brightly as Edwin tried again and again and again to get his spells to work, cursing and sobbing as, one by one they all failed. Father Tristan simply let his head rest against the wall and closed his eyes,

_~Pelor, save the poor soul. We were never going to win this.~_ he thought morosely. He felt the gentle touch of his God, comforting him, if only slightly. The younger cleric opened his eyes in time to see the green light gutter once more as the Abounna kept on trying to break through.

~*~

Selene started as she felt a chill wind blow past her. She barely registered that the blazing heat that had surrounded her earlier was gone. She uncurled herself, wiped her tear-stained face on the sleeve of her robes and looked around warily. A tall, thin, cowled figure stood just behind her, wielding a staff that appeared to be made of some kind of Yew and a sickle hanging from the belt around its waist. In its other hand it held a large hourglass, which it was currently inspecting. The top was almost completely empty, save a few dozen grains or so, which were rapidly trickling through to the bottom half. The figure turned to look at the wizard and, while Selene couldn’t see anything but darkness beneath the hood, she got the distinct impression it was staring at her with a curious expression,

“WELL THIS IS A SURPRISE.” the figure finally noted, “WELL, WORK IS AS WORK DOES I SUPPOSE. PLEASE FOLLOW ME.” it requested, the voice echoing slightly as the figure turned around and started floating off in a seemingly random direction. Selene cocked her head in confusion as she scrambled to her feet,

“Look, I’m sorry but what’s going on exactly?” she asked. The figure stopped and turned to look at her, emanating a mild impatience but also a degree of condescension,

“I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT IT WAS FAIRLY OBVIOUS.” he stated, turning back and continuing on his way, “GIVEN YOUR RATHER CLUELESS EXPRESSION, HOWEVER, I MIGHT AS WELL EXPLAIN ON THE GO.” Selene felt something tugging her along, forcing her to follow the cowled figure. He looked at the hourglass again,

“BASICALLY, IT WOULD SEEM THAT, FOR WHATEVER REASON, YOU HAVE ENDED UP IN THE SPACE BETWEEN THE LIVING WORLD AND DEATH. MY JOB IS SIMPLY TO ESCORT YOU TO THE WAITING ROOM UNTIL THE APPROPRIATE GOD OR GODDESS CAN REVIEW YOUR CASE AND MAKE A DECISION ON THE MATTER.” he explained. Selene stumbled as she attempted to stop and take in this completely unprecedented information, but finding herself unable to do so.

“Wait… what?!” she exclaimed, “I’m sorry, but can we hold up a minute or so so I can process this?” she asked. The figure stopped momentarily and turned to the wizard again, emanating a mild air of irritation and impatience,

“OH, IF WE MUST.” he grumbled, “REALLY, IT’S NOT LIKE THIS SHOULD COME AS A SHOCK OR ANYTHING.” Selene glared at the figure,

“Yeah? Well I’m kind of new to this whole ‘being dead’ thing, so you can kindly shut up for a few seconds, alright?” she snapped. The figure huffed and crossed his arms,

“TECHNICALLY YOU’RE NOT ACTUALLY DEAD YET.” He pointed out, glancing at the hourglass just as the last few grains fell to the bottom, “OH WELL…. NEVER MIND.” he groused. Selene felt a mild shiver up her back and a sense of disquieting emptiness in her chest. The figure turned back in the direction he was initially headed,

“COME ON, WE MIGHT AS WELL GET A MOVE ON BEFORE WHOEVER COMES TO GET YOU STARTS TO COMPLAIN ABOUT US BEING LATE.” he said. Selene reluctantly followed after the figure, not entirely certain about what she ought to be feeling on the matter.

~*~

Edwin could feel the power within him giving out. He had no idea how long it had been since he had started, but he wasn’t about to give up. Hissing a curse in Sylvan, he gathered up what little magic he had left within him and pushed the Heal spell as hard as he could physically and mentally manage, willing it to latch onto something, anything. The desperate Cleric keened a wail as he felt the power simply slip away into the ether between his fingers,

“No, damn you! You can’t do this to me, not now!” he cried, falling to his knees and burying his face into the bedding as Selene’s body finally relaxed, rattled out a sigh and stilled. Edwin squeezed the rapidly cooling hand he still held tightly, ignoring the sharp pain in his palms, “I love you.” he whispered hiccoughing as another sob hit him. Chrackle gave an anguished cackle as he fluttered down from his perch to rub his face against his Wizard’s cheek,

“No go, no go.” he croaked weakly, nipping at Selene’s ear in a futile attempt to wake her up. Edwin lifted a shaking hand and gently pulled the corvid towards him. Crackle buried his head into Edwin’s shoulder, croaking pitifully as the Cleric petted him numbly.

Father Tristan sighed as he walked around the end of the bed and laid a hand on Edwin’s shoulder,

“Come now, Abounna, we did what we could.” he said, his voice gentle, “Unfortunately, it seems that the Gods decided it wasn’t quite enough.” Edwin tore his shoulder away from the touch, bloodshot blue eyes glaring angrily up at the sandy-haired Pelorite. He was about to yell some sort of rebuttal, but a gentle, loving touch in his breast from Galana stayed his tongue. Edwin’s heart skipped slightly. Did he dare to request such a thing after expending almost everything Galana had to give this day? Taking a shaky breath, Edwin pushed his hair out of his face and stared at his Holy Symbol,

“Are you sure?” he asked it, his voice quavering. He felt the warmth of his Goddess’ caress bloom and wash over the rest of him. He nodded, sending Galana a fervent prayer and looked up at Father Tristan, his eyes hardening with resolve,

“Does this place have any diamonds suitable for a Resurrection?” he asked.

~*~

The cowled figure had led Selene to an odd room with wooden and metal seats lined up against the wall, a table filled with strange looking books and a machine of some description sat in a far corner that emitted a glowing light. The words emblazoned across the machine read ‘Tea, Coffee, Hot Chocolate and Soup’ with a slot for currency of some kind and a small hatch where the drinks were apparently served. The Grand Magus paid the machine no more mind and picked up one of the strange books, admiring the large picture of a pair of swans on the cover.

“Well then, aren’t you causing quite the stir up here?” a voice suddenly said, causing the Wizard to jump about a mile in the air. Selene turned in the direction the voice had come from and saw the slim figure of what appeared to be a male elf with deeply tanned skin and blonde hair lounging on one of the chairs. He sat up a little straighter as Selene stared at him,

“Y’know, it’s really not cool to go and die when you ain’t supposed to lil’ lady.” he said, quirking an eyebrow at her. Selene frowned in confusion,

“Excuse me?” she said, “I don’t mean to be rude or anything, but first thing; I have no clue who you even are and two; I really don’t see how being dead is my fault.” she snipped. The elf smirked and leaned back in his chair,

“Like, you totally know who I am, ‘Lex told you about me often enough.” he replied with a wink. “And, fine, you being here ain’t all your fault, but you might have had the brooch checked before picking it up.” he added. Selene narrowed her eyes,

“I was a bit distracted finding out that one of my oldest friends was dead!” she snapped, finally figuring out who the strange elf was. “And since you were the one that sent her off in the first place, you’ll forgive me for being less than happy about it!” The elf held up his hands,

“Look, you’re angry with me, I get it, but now really ain’t the time to get into that.” He said calmly, “I’m actually here to have a chat about your own issues seeing as you’re here and all.” Selene frowned,

“Why you, of all the..?” she trailed off with a frustrated grunt. “And what issues?!” The elf snorted and crossed his arms across his chest,

“Firstly, it wasn’t me that decided on this.“ He grumbled, “Secondly; you’ve been totally stubborn about not getting anyone else involved in your feud with Schreiber.” he explained, “There was totally no need for that level of stress, especially when Galana’s own showed up and pretty much begged you to let him help with that.” Selene glared at the deity and wrapped her arms around herself defensively,

“I didn’t want to get him involved! You should know why.” Greg regarded the Wizard with pity,

“I do.” he said sadly, “But you were never gonna win that fight by yourself. You totes need to quit being so stubborn.”

“So I was supposed to get everyone else involved and get us all kicked out of Toreguard and leave the place defenseless?!”

“That’s totally not what I said.” Greg retorted. He sighed and shook his head, “You’ve been so focussed on one-upping this Schreiber guy that you totally missed the fact that the world kinda still needs you right now. There’s some major Godly Stuff going down and you need to go take care of at least part of the problem.” he said. Selene sighed heavily,

“Look, I understand that you want me to go help save the world all over again. That’s pretty much the only reason you’d show up.” she grumbled, “But I’m just… so damn tired of it all.” Greg blew his breath out through his nose,

“I totally get that, and I’m sorry to have to push you back out there, but do you wanna tell Galana that her little man has to handle everything by himself? She can’t exactly go and ask Egrim to help since he’s got his own problems to deal with.”

“Wait… you mean Edwin…?” Selene stuttered. Greg nodded,

“And this time, it’s not me askin’ the favour.” he said, “Gods way bigger than me told me to sound The Call because the _schist_ has, like, royally hit the fan.” Selene screwed up her nose at the expression, but felt her throat constrict at the thought of Edwin having to face all of the problems she had left back on the Material Plane by himself.

“That’s hardly fair… he can’t…. I mean…” she stammered, finally realising just how badly her own stubborn actions had screwed everything up. Greg cocked his head, seeming to listen to something, the Wizard in front of him not even noticing as she panicked over her current circumstances. The deity snapped his fingers,

**“I love you.”**

Selene stopped her flailing as Edwin’s words echoed around the ‘waiting room’, her heart shattering on hearing the raw pain in the man’s voice. She balled up a fist and placed her free hand on the wall she had been facing, bowing her head,

“Edwin…” she breathed, “I am so, so sorry.” she muttered, her voice cracking as the full weight of what had just happened hit her.

~*~

“Abouna, you need to get some rest. You’ve already spent the better part of an hour trying to heal the Grand Magus.” Thazaar protested as the man set about gathering the items he needed for his Resurrection spell. He glanced at the half-elf with a hot glare,

“I am not giving up on her. Not yet.” he growled, “If there’s still a chance to bring her back I’m taking it.” Thazaar looked to Isda, who hovered nearby. She shrugged,

“I wouldn’t argue with him.” she suggested mildly, “The man is on a mission and getting in his way isn’t going to stop him.” Thaddeus leaned against the wall, shaking his hair out of his eyes,

“My main concern is what he might do if this fails.” he said simply. Dwena glared up at her colleague from her seat, her eyes rimmed with red from the time she had spent crying,

“You’re not helping Thaddeus!” she snapped, clutching a pillow to her chest, wishing that Felix wasn’t all the way over in Fangthane at that moment. Thaddeus snorted,

“I wasn’t trying to. Look, we just need to be prepared for the idea that Lady Frigidwake might not even want to come back. I know I wouldn’t if I knew Schreiber was still around to keep having a go.” he pointed out. Thazaar held up a hand,

“Alright, Thaddeus, that’s enough.” he stated, “We’ll cross that bridge if we ever come to it.” he looked over to where Edwin was now arranging all the items in his arms around the Grand Magus’s body, with help from Father Tristan. He sighed, “For now, we just need to wait.”

Once Edwin was happy with the layout of all the items, he looked over to the hatstand in the corner nearest the bed, where Selene’s familiar was currently perched. The bird was listless and hunched in on himself, his feathers fluffed out and starting to look somewhat ragged. The nature cleric gingerly pulled out a pure gold coin from his pocket and offered it to the distraught creature,

“Here, I know it’s not much, but I need your help with this too, Chrackle.” he said in a low voice. The magpie blinked slowly,

“What do?” he croaked, looking over to his mistress. Edwin stroked the bird’s head and gently picked him up,

“I need you to sit near her while I work.” he said, placing Chrackle in his customary position near Selene’s left shoulder, “Try to concentrate on that empathic connection for me if you think you can manage. It will make things much easier.” Chrackle chuckled and took the coin in his beak, ruffling his dulled feathers in an attempt to keep warm. Petting the magpie one last time, Edwin picked up his Holy Symbol and a vial of water, centred himself and began the Resurrection ritual.

~*~

Selene finally lifted her head and looked over to the enigmatic God, frowning through her tears. Greg looked back at her sympathetically,

“Man, that kind of revelation always sucks to watch.” he sighed, shaking his head. He leaned back in the chair he was sitting on, placing his hands behind his head, “I might as well make myself at home then.” Selene’s frown deepened as she wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her robe,

“Wh…what do you mean?” she hiccoughed. Greg shrugged,

“The whole ‘realising you were ever in love in the first place’ thing tends to give people a lot to think about.” he replied breezily, “Besides, I really doubt Edwin’s gonna let go that easily. In fact, I know he’s not. He’s even more stubborn than you are sometimes.” Selene’s breath caught in her throat,

“Will… will Galana even let…” she stuttered. Greg rolled his eyes and huffed,

“Lady, you ain’t even supposed to be here.” he reminded her, “Unfortunately, that decision ain’t up to me or, even Galana. That’s all on you.” he told her. Selene frowned, thinking her predicament through, calming down as she fiddled with the chain of her necklace. Greg settled back in his seat, placing his feet on the table as he waited.

“Alright then, let’s say I did go back. What’s the catch?” she asked warily. Greg shrugged lazily,

“Heck if I know.” he replied, picking up one of the odd books and flipping through its pages nonchalantly, “All I know is that there’s stuff that needs doing. You’d be better served asking Galana.” Selene huffed irritably,

“That’s not exactly helpful.” the god clucked his tongue, turning a page,

“Like I said; not my decision or even my department.” Selene grumbled. On the one hand, yes, she knew the world needed saving all over again and that she really didn’t want Edwin to face it all by himself. On the other, she was just so damn tired. She glanced over to Greg again,

“Alright then, let me rephrase.” she said, “You said that I was still needed but that heading back or not was my choice. What then, is the point if either one of us ends up dead for good shortly after?” she asked. Greg looked up at her through his highlighted fringe with a soft smile,

“Then you make the most of the time you have.” he replied easily, “ The point I’ve been tryin’ to make is that you have something real special right there in front of you. Love- and I mean a real, deep connection on every level- is probably the most potent thing in the multiverse. It’s not somethin’ that should go to waste over some stupid little man with his head stuck too far up his arse.” At this point a door appeared in the far corner, a soft green light glowing around it, “Welp, looks like it’s decision time.” Greg sighed, swinging his feet off the little table and stretching. Selene glanced over to the new addition to the room and worried her bottom lip, hesitating for just a moment until she glared at Greg and dashed through the doorway. Greg snorted as the door slammed shut behind her,

“You’re welcome!” he called, rolling his eyes. He placed a hand in his pocket and pulled out an apple, rubbed it on his leg and bit into it before vanishing in a gust of salt air.

~*~

The assorted wizards waited with baited breath as Edwin went about the ritual, the emerald light spilling from the diamond placed on Selene’s chest filling the room. Dwena could only catch a few words of the desperate cleric’s prayer but she got the general gist.

Edwin ignored the burning in his throat and the sweat dripping down his head, making his eyes sting as he prayed, looking up at the pinprick of golden light that now hovered near the ceiling and trying to will it down and into the diamond. His heart nearly stopped when it wavered uncertainly,

,i>~Nonono, come on, don’t do this. Not now.~ he thought, feeling a swell of panic in his chest. As soon as the thought even crossed his mind, the light dashed into the crystal, blinding nearly everyone in the room as the crystal almost exploded with the impact. Father Tristan and Edwin laughed in relief as the Grand Magus finally drew a deep, shaky breath and started coughing harshly. Edwin fell back against the nearest wall and ran a shaky hand through his soaking wet hair while Tristan saw to his old friend as she started to come around.

The younger cleric patted Selene on the back until she stopped coughing and knelt down to look at her as green eyes finally squinted open,

“You never do anything by half do you my Lady?” he chirped, handing the woman her glasses, “Welcome back.” Selene blinked blearily, slowly taking the item from the Pelorite cleric and placing them shakily on her nose,

“Where’s..?” was all she could mutter before a flurry of feathers launched itself under her chin, croaking and squawking as a certain magpie rubbed his head against her chin and cheeks. Selene hissed in pain, promptly squeezing her eyes shut again, as her mind was immediately assaulted with a bombardment of thoughts and emotions.

_~You came back! I was so worried. Don’t you ever go do something that stupid again! I hope Galana gave you a proper telling off for leaving me all by myself.~_ Chrackle babbled in relief. Father Tristan sighed irritably, waiting for some kind of indication that the bird had at least calmed down enough to let him help the Grand Magus sit up. Finally Dwena came to their rescue, scurrying over to the bed and scooping the bird up in her arms,

“Alright, I get that you’re relieved, but can you give her a minute?” she asked as Chrackle wriggled in her grasp, pecking ineffectually at the gnome’s robes, not quite managing to reach her fingers. Father Tristan grumbled as he hooked his arm around Selene’s shoulder and sat her up, the wizard shaking her head as Chrackle finally let up on his babble,

“Thank you.” she groaned, blinking as she found her bearings again, “So what did I miss this time?” she asked, sweeping her gaze around the left side of the room. Thazaar merely laughed and shook his head, while Thaddeus groaned and placed his head in his hands. Dwena snorted,trying not to laugh. Chrackle finally managed to squirm out of the gnome’s grip enough to peck at her fingers so she would release him, fluttering over to the bedpost and giving the Plane Shifter an annoyed squawk.

“What do you…? Never mind I don’t think I want to know the answer to that question.” Edwin’s voice stated flatly from the opposite side of the bed. Selene’s head whipped around to see an exhausted Edwin, who was currently leaning against the wall, pinching the bridge of his nose. The wizard bit her lip guiltily,

“Edwin… I…” she said, breaking off as the other human glanced up at her, his eyes locking with hers,

“As to your question. I don’t believe you missed anything. What’s the last thing you remember?” he asked, finally pushing himself off the wall and sitting down on the edge of the bed. Selene frowned as she tore her gaze away from Edwin’s and took to staring at her hands,

“It’s all a bit hazy honestly, but… I think I was reading one of my older books…” she said, straining to recall exactly what had happened before she had passed out, “That’s right, I got to the seat by the fireplace then…” she trailed off, her hands gripping at the sheets, causing Edwin to frown in concern, “Schreiber came barging in… he said… something about Fangthane…I tried to get him to leave…” she explained haltingly. Edwin gently placed a hand on top of Selene’s and glanced up at the others, who were watching with concerned expressions, with Father Tristan looking more confused than anything else. The younger cleric gently caught the Grand Magus’ attention,

“Are you sure it wasn’t just a dream, my Lady?” he asked slowly, “When I arrived after being informed of our uninvited guest, Lord Schreiber was waiting patiently in the main office until I forced him to leave.” he explained. Selene frowned in confusion, looking desperately between the others,

“But he… I’m sure…” she stammered before shaking her head at the blank stares of her fellow wizards. Thazaar grimaced,

“None of us were even aware he had been in the tower until Father Tristan told us.” he said, “May is the only other witness we have to the whole ordeal and the poor girl got so upset when we asked her what had happened that we had to send her home early.” Selene sighed as she tried and failed to remember what had happened,

“I don’t think it was a dream… but it’s all a bit too hazy for me to remember much of anything.” she admitted. Thazaar rubbed at his chin,

“And Lord Schreiber himself won’t admit to anything if we ask him directly.” he grumbled, “As it stands, we have to assume that he did indeed wait in the office, as directed by May, and that what the Grand Magus believed she saw was simply a hallucination brought on by the fever.” He glanced over to Selene, who had opened her mouth to protest, “I’m sorry, Grand Magus, but it’s your word against his, we’ve no other evidence.” he reminded her. Selene huffed irritably, rubbing a hand over her face,

“No, you’re right.” she muttered tiredly, “I’ll just have to try avoiding him until the New Year’s holiday.” Edwin snorted slightly,

“Then you’ll be glad to hear that you’re being confined to bed until I’m happy that you’re entirely well.” he stated firmly, “Even without the Burnout issue, you weren’t well to begin with.” he added as Selene frowned at him. Dwena hummed fretfully, tapping a finger on her cheek,

“That’s a thing. Where’d the Burnout even come from?” she asked, “I’m pretty certain we’d have heard about any outbreaks in the city.” Thaddeus shook his head,

“Random chance, most likely. It’s not like the Tower is even remotely mundane and Burnout is a disease that likes to hang around in highly magical environments.” he pointed out, “As it stands, we might as well issue a lockdown notice just in case and make sure the whole tower gets a proper scrub to make sure no one else ends up with it.” Thazaar nodded,

“I’ll inform the staff.” he said, groaning as he stretched, “Since there’s nothing more to do here, I think we should leave the Grand Magus to her rest.” he suggested pointedly. Dwena pouted, but nodded,

“I still need to feed the Squiggly Diddles anyway.” she turned to Selene with a bright smile, “You make sure and get plenty of rest, we can take care of anything that needs doing.” she said. The little gnome waved as she promptly teleported out of the room. Selene looked over to Edwin, somewhat hopefully,

“Is there any chance I can still…?” Edwin gave the Wizard a hard stare,

“No.”

“Not even…?”

“I meant what I said earlier, Sel. Don’t push it.” The cleric growled. Selene huffed unhappily, pouting as she flopped back onto her pillows, arms firmly crossed. Edwin rolled his eyes,

“Acting like a toddler isn’t going to help, you know.” While the Abouna and the Grand Magus bickered, both Thaddeus and Thazaar took the opportunity to quietly leave, while Father Tristan decided his energy was probably best spent clearing away the leftover components of the Resurrection ritual before he made his excuses and left as well. Eventually, Edwin managed to convince his old friend that taking at least a few days off wasn’t actually worse than what she had just been through, though he did insist on staying in the Wizard’s Tower in the meantime to make absolutely sure his instructions were being followed. At least that was what he claimed when Selene asked why he would do such a thing. When Selene finally fell asleep, the Cleric affectionately brushed her hair out of her face, before recalling himself and wandering down the stairs to enquire about the possibility of getting a cot set up in the office.


End file.
